Illustrated instructions for building a top bar hive to Phil Chandler's design, using a pair of 'follower boards' to manage the space occupied by bees.

This is a tried-and-tested horizontal hive design that can easily be adapted for particular needs (e.g. queen rearing or making nucs) and you can add your own details, such as a landing board.

For a full account of the theory of top bar hive design, with details the eco-floor and periscope entrance and much more, you should order Balanced Beekeeping I: Building a Top Bar Hive - see http://offthebookshelf.com/search?q=balanced+beekeeping

The first of (at least) two books on 'Balanced Beekeeping' - the art of keeping bees while respecting their natural life and their vital role in nature and agriculture.

This book covers the theory and practice of designing and building the top bar hive - easily the most versatile and beekeeper-friendly hive, and certainly one of the most bee-friendly. The writing is detailed but easy to follow, and anyone considering this style of beekeeping should have a copy to hand as a reference and practical guide.

The author's first book - The Barefoot Beekeeper - started something of a revolution in what became known as 'natural beekeeping'. This book sets out the case for using top bar hives and discusses design features you will not find elsewhere, as well as giving many practical construction tips.

A collection of short essays on bees and beekeeping by the author of The Barefoot Beekeeper.

The author's first book set out a challenge to the world of conventional beekeeping and offered an alternative paradigm. It soon became apparent that other people had been thinking along similar lines, and when bees were headlined month after month in the national press, following the outbreak of so-called 'colony collapse disorder' in the USA, many more people became interested in bees and what became known as the 'natural beekeeping' movement began to emerge.

Our challenge now is to re-negotiate our relationship with bees: we must learn to protect and nurture them, rather than simply exploit them, and we need to learn to listen to what they need from us.

This audio book is read by the author and is intended as a primer about bees and natural beekeeping, especially for those with an interest in gardening.

Chapter 1
Before considering 'keeping' bees, we take a look at their world, their lifecycle and how we can work with them to achieve a mutually beneficial relationship.

Chapter 2
We consider the relationship between bees and flowering plants and their importance for pollination. We will also look at the type of beehives recommended for 'natural beekeeping', and consider ways in which you can take sensible precautions when locating hives and handling bees.

Chapter 3
We will examine how a top bar beehive works, and how best to use it to supervise bees, while minimizing our interference in their lives. We will also consider how to obtain bees and persuade them to live in the hives we provide them.

Chapter 4
Having introduced bees to their new home, we look at hive management and how to provide optimum conditions in which they can thrive, while learning as much as possible about their natural behaviour with a view to improving our understanding of them.

The autor's web site is at www.biobees.com

Philip Chandler is author of The Barefoot Beekeeper, also available from www.offthebookshelf.com

Is There A Demand
Success Fuels Demand
Is The Workforce Day Care Competition?
Chapter 2: Starting Your Business With Successful Implementation
Determine The Type Of Day Care
Do Large Day Cares Do Better ?
Space Matters First
Regulations To Consider, From the Beginning
Funding Starts Small
Chapter 3: Making It Work For Less
Develop A Business Plan
Sponsorship Can Help
Location Through The Business
Affordability Yet Necessary: Your Sign
Chapter 4: Setting Up The Operation
Your Hours Of Operation
Determine Meals
Snacks?
Your Kitchen Staff?
Other Considerations
Chapter 5: The Children's Care and Needs Defined
Establishment Of A Routine
Sample Routine Breakdown
Additional Tasks To Incorporate
The Legalities That Must Be Provided For
Chapter 6: Managing The Business Of A Day Care
Establishing The Cost
How Will They Pay?
Insuring Your Business
Profit And Reporting
Managing People
Be Sales Oriented
Getting An Education